We were in Crested Butte last week and there was an amazing lupine bloom in progress. I have been twice before duing a similar time period (since 2013) and haven't seen them look quite as nice. There were some large areas covered in the Silvery Lupine, which very much looks like our Texas bluebonnet. The best hiking path for seeing large areas covered in them was Brush Creek Trail, which is at a lower elevation. We also did the Lupine, Columbine and Snodgrass Trails, which had nice lupine coverage. We especially enjoyed the views of Nicholson Lake, the Slate River and the valley below on the Lupine Trail. This trail had the best views. The record snowfall amounts Crested Butte had over the winter and resulting snow melt, along with decent rains through May, contributed to exceptional lupine coverage. It has been dry since May, but looks like the forecast for next week includes many days with some rain.

July and August are considered their monsoon season, although there are typically thunderstorms in the afternoon and not complete washout days. By the time we left on Friday, I was starting to see more blooms of other wildflowers and hopefully with some rain, the higher elevations will see nice blooms in July. The lupines will likely fade at the lower elevations, but start to bloom at the higher elevations along with many other wildflowers. We did a jeep tour up Slate River Road that offered scenic views, waterfalls, and some wildflowers. I was able to photograph Glacier Lillies, which come out early at the higher elevations. This trip normally goes all the way to Paradise Divide, which has lakes and widlflower meadows, but there was still a lot of snow up there and we didn't go that far. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful tour. I am including a link to some photos on Facebook. I have marked the types of flowers and the trails. Also, follow me on Instagram at gaylefetickphotos. I recently started using it and post mostly pictures of flowers in Texas and Colorado. We have many wildflowers nearby from spring to fall, so I take pictures when I go walking.